Niagara Escarpment builds reputation as wine country

The Wisconsin Ledge American Viticultural Area -- think Wisconsin's Napa Valley -- is three years old. The state's wineries are slowly building recognition. (Aug. 16, 2014)
Richard Ryman/Press-Gazette Media

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At left, Eric Fowle greets people during the Wisconsin Ledge AVA Celebration at Ledgestone Vineyards on Saturday in Greenleaf.(Photo: Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media)Buy Photo

LEDGEVIEW – From the patio of LedgeStone Vineyards, the Niagara Escarpment can be seen a short way in the distance.

The distance is increasing. The Wisconsin Ledge American Viticultural Area, AVA for short, slowly is building a national reputation as a grape-growing, wine-producing region.

"Last night I had a wedding rehearsal here. One of the couples was from Napa Valley," said Tim Abel, owner of LedgeStone. "They said, 'This is neat. We feel like we're back in wine country.'"

LedgeStone was the site Saturday of a third annual celebration of the designation of the Wisconsin Ledge AVA. An AVA is a federally designated grape-growing region distinguishable by geographic features. Napa Valley in California is an AVA.

The Wisconsin Ledge AVA includes 3,800 square miles from Cedarburg to Door County, distinguished by the Wisconsin leg of the Niagara Escarpment.

"It gives credibility to making wine in the region. It gives us credibility within the wine industry," Abel said. "We are where California was in the late '60s, early 70s."

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The escarpment itself is a unique geologic feature that needs attention and protection, said Eric Fowle, executive director of East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and co-chair of the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network.

"I look at it as another alternative to growing houses," Fowle said. "Ideally, we want to show that conservation and agritourism and economic development can be one and the same. It's going to take time."

Knowledge of the AVA's existence is slowly spreading, though Fowle admits more people stumble across it than make it a destination.

That was OK with Shannon Sutton of Green Bay and three friends who came to LedgeStone Saturday entirely unaware of the AVA event. They just wanted a place they could sit outside, enjoy the weather and drink wine.

"I like it when they tell you these are our own wines," she said.

The group was familiar with other local wineries — there are at least 21 in the AVA and several more just outside its boundaries.

"It's very good," said Toni Maretti, tasting a white wine from LedgeStone. "You can tell each winery has a unique taste."

Fowle said more than 250 acres of grapes are grown in the region, many of them not belonging directly to the wineries.

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(Photo: Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media)

Abel produces about 5,000 gallons of wine annually. One-third of what he sells is from his own grapes, grown at the winery a mile and a half north of Greenleaf. One-third is made from purchased grapes and juices and one-third is product from other wineries.

The label on his bottles say "Wisconsin Ledge," and other wineries have been using the designation as well.

Also part of Saturday's event was a tour of the nearby escarpment, for those who like a little geology with their grape.

Last year's AVA celebration was held at Trout Springs Winery in Morrison because owner Steve DeBaker was instrumental in securing the designation. Fowle said they had planned to rotate it yearly, but there are so many wineries it would take years to get to each one.

"We're talking about next year holding it at all the wineries on a single day. Something to make it more of a destination for that day," he said.

That would suit Abel, whose winery Saturday was full of strangers.

"Everybody today is brand new," he said. "I haven't seen any regulars."

And that's how a brand gets known.

— rryman@greenbaypress gazette.com and follow him on Twitter @RichRymanPG or on Facebook at Richard Ryman-Press-Gazette. Contact him at (920) 431-8342.